How to start a kids' book club

Family

How to start a kids' book club

Teens, tweens and younger children will have fun connecting with other bookloving buddies while sharing ideas and the joy of reading. Here's how to get a kids' book club up and running.

Start with the basics First, decide on what kind of book club you want, suggest Judy Gelman and Vicki Levy Krupp in The Kids' Book Club Book (Penguin, 2007). Will it be co-ed or all one sex? Do you want to target a particular age range? Are parents welcome to participate? Then, choose a name that reflects who you are – for example, my seven-year-old daughter's all-girl group call themselves the GRUBs (Girls Rule Book Club). Select a size that fits Smaller is better, advises Lisa Doucet, assistant manager of Woozles, Canada's oldest children's bookstore, in Halifax. Aim for between six and 12 members, depending on age and personality. Generally, the younger the members, the smaller the group.

Recruit members When we started my daughter's book club, we simply invited all of her friends in her Grade 2 class who liked to read. Tweens or teens can e-mail buddies to see if they want to get together to discuss a book – and even hold meetings online. If you're having difficulty finding members, consider posting a flyer at your local library or children’s bookstore, or in the school newsletter.

Decide when and where to meet Once you set a time, try to stick with it. Most groups opt for monthly meetings. Allow enough time for members to talk about the book, enjoy a snack and socialize. Many book clubs take turns meeting at one another's homes, with the host family providing a snack, but kids can also meet at their school or public library or a bookstore.

Choose the right books Let the kids drive the book selection, advises Doucet. They're more likely to read and enjoy a book they've chosen themselves. Let each member suggest a book, then have a group vote at the end of the meeting. Or, if your club takes turns organizing, the child hosting the following month can choose the book. If you're looking for suggestions, most bookstores publish a recommendation list, as do publishers' websites. Or check out www.kidsreads.com.

Page 1 of 2 -- Find more advice on getting your kids to join a book club on page 2Get everyone involved It's helpful to have one person lead the discussion and make sure things run smoothly. With younger kids that could be the host parent. Book club guides, which you can use to start the discussion, are included at the back of some books, or are available online or at the library. Make sure members know it’s important to respect one another's thoughts and ideas, says Doucet. Set some ground rules: no interrupting, there are no right or wrong answers, and everyone gets a chance to speak.

Keep them coming back Plan activities, crafts, meals or outings inspired by the book. The GRUBs all went to see the play Anne of Green Gables after reading the book. Arlee Venier, a librarian at the Castlegar and District Public Library in Castlegar, B.C., says her Castlegar Rockin' Readers, ages six to eight, enjoy making pages for their book club scrapbooks. Shannon South from Palmerston, Ont., started a mom-and-kids' book club for herself and her nine year-old twins, and when they finished Holes by Louis Sachar, they planned a special meal taken from the book.Read more: • Encourage a love of reading • Top 10 child literacy spoilers • Unplug for family night

This story was originally titled "Starting a Kids Book Club" in the March 2009 issue.

Culture & Entertainment

6 mistakes newlyweds make when assuming a spouse’s name

Culture & Entertainment

6 mistakes newlyweds make when assuming a spouse’s name

So you’re newly married or preparing to say “I do.” Despite modern conventions, there’s still
good reason to assume your husband’s (or wife's) last name. Just be sure you don’t fall into one of these name-change traps.
1. Waiting too long In Ontario, a name change is free if you apply within 90 days of your wedding date. If you apply after this date, the province will charge you. Similar guidelines will apply elsewhere as well. Keep in mind that it also takes four to six weeks for your new driver’s licence and health card to arrive in the mail.
2. Starting the process too soon If you leave for your
honeymoon a month after your wedding, your itinerary will need to match personal identification. Either start the process after you return to Canada, or remember to use your husband’s name when booking your vacation.
3. Forgetting the parental implications If you have children from a previous relationship, the decision to assume your new husband’s name becomes more complex. Unless your children share your last name (or they have a hyphenated surname that includes both mom and dad’s last names), chances are you’ll encounter hiccups when
travelling internationally. Never cross the border or head to the airport without appropriate
documents proving your relationship and the co-parent’s consent, otherwise abduction flags will be raised.
4. Hyphenating without going through the right channels Hyphenating your last name to include your husband’s is equivalent to dropping your maiden name. You still have to go through all the same channels.
5. Thinking changing and assuming your name are the same To formally change your last name, you’ll need to go through a lawyer, whether you’re changing it to your husband’s surname or both of you are taking on a trailblazing new name together. This means even your birth certificate will reflect the change. Assuming your spouse’s name is less involved.
6. Expecting a service to do it all for you While name-change services will help you complete the necessary paperwork in an organized and timely fashion, they can only update the documents that they know of. If you forget to notify them about a car title, alumni association or magazine subscription, you’ll have to deal with that on your own at a later date.
Photo courtesy FlickrCC/Search Influence

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For easy access to our weekly prizes, sign up for our 60-Day Holiday Countdown newsletters and you'll receive a daily email featuring a link to enter that week's contest, along with Tested Till Perfect holiday recipes, awesome gift guides, DIY decor ideas and more. You can enter to win each prize once daily until each contest closes.

You can enter to win this week's prize below, and see past contests and winners.

Pattern Notes: Twisted rib stitch (worked over an even number of stitches): Row 1 and Row 2: *K1 tbl, p1 tbl* repeat to end of row. Repeat Rows 1 and 2.

Casting on: The Honey Stitch Cowl is cast on using the provisional cast on, which leaves the cast-on stitches "live." Because they're "live" and not closed off as with a regular cast on, we can later pick them up and seam them together with the stitches on the needle. There are several ways to work the provisional cast on. My favourite method involves using a crochet hook and a scrap piece of yarn to make a crochet chain. The cast on stitches are then knitted directly onto the crochet chain, which acts as a holder for the cast on stitches. Once you've finished your cowl you can unravel the crochet chain, which reveals the "live" cast on stitches. These are then picked up on a needle and seamed together with the other stitches on your needle using the three-needle bind off.

Three-needle Bind Off: This bind off joins two sets of "live" stitches together in a neat, secure seam. As the name suggests, it requires three needles: one needle holds the cast on stitches, the other holds the stitches at the end of the cowl, and the third needle is used to knit the stitches on both needles in order to bind them off into a seam.

• With the two needles clapped together and the right sides of the cowl facing each other, insert the third needle into the first stitch on the needle closest to you as if to knit. Insert the third needle into the first stitch on the needle in the back. There are now two stitches on the third needle. Bring the working yarn around the third needle as if to knit and bring the yarn through both stitches on both needles. * There is now one stitch on the third needle. â€¨â€¨Repeat the instructions between * and * until you have two stitches on the needle. Then, using your fingers or one of the needles holding the stitches, bring the first stitch on the third needle over the second stitch. One stitch has been bound off. â€¨â€¨Continue to knit one stitch through two stitches on your needles and bind off on the third needle until you have one stitch left on your third needle. Cut the yarn and weave through the last stitch. Notice that you have created a nice, sturdy seam that joins your cast on stitches with the last stitches on your cowl.

Row 2 (right side): Sl1 knitwise, *p1 tbl, k1 tbl* repeat until you reach 1 st before the first marker, p1 tbl, sm. *Slip 1 st to DPN and hold in back, k1, k the st from the DPN. Slip next st to DPN and hold in front, k1, k the st from DPN* repeat until you reach the second marker, sm. *P1 tbl, k1 tbl* repeat to end of row.

Row 3 (wrong side): repeat Row 1.

Row 4: (right side): Sl1, *p1 tbl, k1 tbl* repeat until you reach 1 st before the first marker, p1 tbl, sm. *Slip 1 st to DPN and hold in front, k1, k the st from DPN. Slip next st to DPN and hold in back, k1, k the st from DPN* repeat until you reach the second marker, sm. *P1 tbl, k1 tbl* repeat to end of row.

Note about yarns: Unfortunately, KPC Yarn is only available online. It's stocked in a retail store in Hong Kong. However, there are a number of other yarn options for Canadians; look for a chunky weight yarn. Berroco Vintage Chunky and Debbie Bliss Rialto Chunky are very similar to the KPC chunky in gauge. Alternatively, consult your local yarn store.

Davina Choy reluctantly picked up knitting at 14, under the instruction of a family friend. Learn how an afternoon of knitting turned into a lifelong passion for Choy.